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Wylie Dufresne focused for a full decade on his Lower East Side gem, wd-50, before opening Alder in the East Village. This more casual and affordable outpost is entirely a la carte, unlike his tasting-menu-focused fine dining restaurant, but the kitchen is just as skilled--a meal at Alder is full of surprises and delights. A lean, but silky clam chowder, for example, is garnished with trickster oyster crackers made from fried oyster meat. It's one of the best things on the menu, full of flavor and charm in equal amounts. And the chips that accompany the restaurant's smooth, pink-hued pub cheese are made from dried Martin's potato rolls. A lovely dish of rye-flavored pasta served with pastrami tastes of an East Village that's mostly vanished, which is to say, dreamy and delicious. Though occasionally the cleverness of Alder's culinary tricks can be more impressive than the flavors and textures they produce, it's clear the kitchen is having a hell of a good time. Order wisely and you will too. --Tejal Rao

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